NMRA membership: Kalmbach Memorial Library. Worth the price?

[The Milwaukee Road Warrior]

Is anyone here an NMRA member?  I'm intrigued by the offer of access to the Kalmbach Memorial Library collection of 100,000+ photos and other items, more than any other aspect of membership.  Has anyone had experience with this digital library?

https://www.nmra.org/member-services

 

[rrebell]

Really depends on where you live, Some regions are great and others are not. Would not join for the library, the internet has killed those.

[The Milwaukee Road Warrior]

That's kind of what I'm wondering.  When I first started reasearching a layout from square one last year I thought 100,000 images sounded like a lot.  It is, but I've since found many more than that on the photo sites frequented by many here.  Presumably the quality of the images would be better in the KML than just the random photos uploaded on many sharing sites, but who knows.  Maybe they aren't any "better" on average...  There is so much out there already on the internet.  NMRA should provide some samples of content or give a 24hr window of trial access for interested parties.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

The Milwaukee Road Warrior

That's kind of what I'm wondering.  When I first started reasearching a layout from square one last year I thought 100,000 images sounded like a lot.  It is, but I've since found many more than that on the photo sites frequented by many here.  Presumably the quality of the images would be better in the KML than just the random photos uploaded on many sharing sites, but who knows.  Maybe they aren't any "better" on average...  There is so much out there already on the internet.  NMRA should provide some samples of content or give a 24hr window of trial access for interested parties.

 

This has been a hotly debated issue on this forum before. If the search function was working  you could read some of it........

I'm a member, have been since 1968.

Never been to an event, that stuff is not really my thing.

But everything they have done for the hobby over these many years deserves my support, so I still belong.

I don't have the time or the temperament for the public side of the hobby, but I can pitch in a few dollars for those who are so inclined......

Sheldon

[Weighmaster]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

I'm a member, have been since 1968.

I sent Bob Bast a $100 check in mid 1974 for a life membership, but it was returned because the fee had been doubled about the time I sent it in.  I gulped (because of the "outrageous" increase), but sent in the $200.  In the long run, it's been well worth it.

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

I don't have the time or the temperament for the public side of the hobby

As I have goten older (OLD!), my days of the socializing have largely disappeared, and my health has had a number of issues.  Thirteen years ago, when we last moved, I finally had a large basement room to build, except that it largely filled with all those "indispensable" things.  After my wife passed, physical exhaustion made it difficult to start.  So here I still sit.  The room is cleared, but my stamina and drive has disappeared (at least for the time being).

Gary

[kasskaboose]

I was a NMRA member and didn't see the value.  Between the Internet and a local club, you probably can find more than enough material.  Way too many choices can easily create analysis paralysis.

[IRONROOSTER]

I have been a member since 1972.  I haven't used the library.

But if you're interested in a particular railroad, I would check out the Historical Society (if any) for that road first.

Many localities have an historical society if you're interested in a particular place.

 

Paul

[dknelson]

NMRA member since 1981.  I have been to exactly three national conventions, and two of those were right here in Milwaukee (while the other was in nearby Madison WI) so as you can see I do not go far afield to go to a national.  Moreover I worked the registration desk for the entire 2010 Convention so I got to no clinics, no tours, no nothing.  Just the train show, contest room (which was awe inspiring), banquet, 75th anniversary display and that was about it.  I knew I'd miss out by being in charge of registration.  But I did get to meet and talk to some great modelers.

I have however been to (and given clinics at) a number of NMRA regional conventions (Midwest Region; this May will be in Peoria and I'll be there), and am active in my own Division in Milwaukee including Trainfest which it sponsors and operates.  I've given clinics for my Division and for other Divisions in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.    

The regional conventions, rather like the railroad historical society meets that I attend, have the advantage that once you have a critical mass of people attending, and a varied and experienced set of folks running it, you have opportunities for prototype tours, excursions, layout tours, operating sessions, and clinics that would not be practical or possible for a person trying to arrange such opportunities on their own.  The same is true for the Nationals that I attended, with the added feature of the big train show (which admittedly is nothing special for those of us who have Trainfest right here every year, but is nonetheless quite a show). 

My experience with the Kalmbach library of images is limited to the monthly feature in the NMRA magazine which selects an image and then Thornton Waite does the research and writes up a brief but meaty article about it.  I have saved several of them because the collections came from railfan/modelers of wide experience some of whom were shooting color rather early in the color transparency era.  I am a freight car nut in particular.  

I would say access to that is a nice feature of membership but I don't think of it as being a dollar for dollar value compared to membership dues.  

While not into socializing just for the sake of socializing, I think, when an activity is important to you, that organizations that exist solely around that activity to promote and encourage that activity can have value both for the opportunities they make available but also the information and resources - whether it be a library of images or the chance to sit next to someone on a tour bus who knows alot about something that interests you, or to visit a great layout which is otherwise not open to the public.  The monthly magazine (supplemented by emailed information with links) is quite good and a big improvement over the NMRA Bulletin that I recall from the 1980s.  

I feel similarly about the railroad historical society of the railway that is most important to me.  I buy the magazines of historical societies of various midwestern railroads, but I belong to and try to be active in the one I primarily care about and model.  An organized group brings focus and energy that can otherwise be lacking.

I could have gone to many of the places and done many of the interesting things as a modeler and railfan had I not joined the NMRA or other organizations.  Could have and might have, but also might NOT have.  But there are for sure places I have gone to and things I have done which I could never have done had I not belonged.  I know some guys prefer a more tight focus for the organizations they join: N scalers going to conventions of the N Scale Enthusiasts for example.  S and O scalers have their own organizations, as do narrow gaugers, toy train folks, and trolley fans.  The NMRA is admittedly a bit "generic" in its model railroad focus in comparison.  All are valuable.  I greatly enjoyed being with the N scalers when they brought their convention to Milwaukee a few years ago (I gave a clinic and was a layout tour helper).  Model trains are important to me and I enjoy talking about and learning about them.  Books and the internet are great but sometimes there is no substitute for talking to/communicating with like-minded people.  As we do in these Forums for example.

Dave Nelson 

PS Somehow I am reminded of the story of the circuit riding preacher who of a Sunday would ride to towns that had no preacher of their own.  Often he'd take his son with him.  They arrived at one town and went to the church, and as was his custom the traveling preacher dropped a dollar into the collection box.   He did the service and gave his sermon and afterwards the church elder thanked him and said "our practice here is to pay the visiting preacher by giving him the contents of the collection box."  He opened it and gave the preacher the contents which consisted of -- his own dollar.  The preacher nodded, took the dollar and rode off with his son.

The son saw that his father looked a bit down and said "Gee dad it's like you always say: you'll get more out of it if you put more into it."

DN

 

[The Milwaukee Road Warrior]

IRONROOSTER

But if you're interested in a particular railroad, I would check out the Historical Society (if any) for that road first.

Yep!  So for me I've spent a lot of time on the Milw Rd Hist Soc web site, various Flickr and Pinterest sites, the Hist Soc for the C&NW, the various State Hist Soc web sites around the midwest, individual web sites dedicated to the Milw Rd, and the Milw Rd archives.  I've purchased four books on the Milw Rd from Morning Sun.  Until the Milwaukee Public Library gets the Milw Rd archives collection digitized, I feel like I've found much of the information there is to find currently.  That's why I'm intrigued by the Kalmbach Library.  It's based in the Milwaukee area so I wonder if the collection might lean more heavily towards the Milw Rd or possibly the C&NW; I wonder if it has info on either line that I've yet to find anywhere else...

[BigDaddy]

They have a trial membership they call the US Railpass:  9 months for $19.95.   In terms I can understand, that is less than a case of craft beer, that wouldn't last me 9 months.

https://tinyurl.com/voml7bq

[jjdamnit]

Hello All,

I have been a member of the National Model Railroad Association since getting back into this hobby in 2014.

Even though I have access to the Kalmbach Memorial Library I rarely use it.

I find more value in the monthly magazine that is an option when you join.

Hope this helps.

[Markgro]

The Milwaukee Road Warrior

So for me I've spent a lot of time on the Milw Rd Hist Soc web site, various Flickr and Pinterest sites, the Hist Soc for the C&NW, the various State Hist Soc web sites around the midwest, individual web sites dedicated to the Milw Rd, and the Milw Rd archives.  I've purchased four books on the Milw Rd from Morning Sun.  Until the Milwaukee Public Library gets the Milw Rd archives collection digitized,I feel like I've found much of the information there is to find currently.  That's why I'm intrigued by the Kalmbach Library.  It's based in the Milwaukee area so I wonder if the collection might lean more heavily towards the Milw Rd or possibly the C&NW; I wonder if it has info on either line that I've yet to find anywhere else...

The NMRA's A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library is not based out of the Milwaukee area (it's not at the Model Railroader mag/Kalmbach Media offices in Waukesha, if that's what you were thinking). Rather, it is/was based out of the NMRA HQ in Chattanooga, Tennessee...and according to their website, they are in the process of merging with the California State Railroad Museum Library. They will have stuff about railroads--prototype and model--from all over the place.

As for Milwaukee Road and C&NW stuff, you seem to already have a good start with the various historical societies online. Have you considered joining those organizations? You might have even better luck finding specific info, or making requests for such info that way.

Since you seem to be from the Milwaukee area, I'll give you an extra pointer: the Central Library in Downtown Milwaukee has most (possibly all) back issues of the magazines/newsletters of "The Milwaukee Railroader" (MRHS), "North Western Lines" (C&NWHS), and "The Soo" (SLH&TS), as well as many shelves worth of railroad books. Plus several decades of back issues from popular railroading magazines, modeling and prototype. You could spend days there researching (and most importantly, finding things that aren't on the internet). I know I have.

[mlehman]

You can browse over to the NMRA site to check out some samples at this link:

http://archive.nmra.org/Photographs.aspx

There are lots of pics online, but the NMRA archive. collection has a couple of things going for it that make it stand out. First, it's not something that just started with the internet. It's been growing since the 1930s. Second, many of the pics were taken and/or added to the collection in part due to the subject having appeal to modelers.

[riogrande5761]

dknelson

you'll get more out of it if you put more into it.

DN

Seems logical enough, but so far I've not been convinced of a reason to put something into it, which would be $$ at the start - after that ... ?

From what I've read over the years, it's somewhat pot luck as to where you live will often shape the experience you may have with the NMRA.

[The Milwaukee Road Warrior]

Markgro

The NMRA's A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library is not based out of the Milwaukee area

Ah ok... I let myself get thrown by the Kalmbach name.

Markgro

Have you considered joining those organizations?

I am considering it.  Just waiting for my wife to get over the hyperventilating that came when she realized the expense of this hobby haha.

Markgro

Since you seem to be from the Milwaukee area

I was born and raised on the north side, but have been out of State for some years and it isn't practical for me to try to access anything stored brick-and-mortar style in Milwaukee.  

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

riogrande5761

 

 

dknelson

you'll get more out of it if you put more into it.

DN

 

 

Seems logical enough, but so far I've not been convinced of a reason to put something into it, which would be $$ at the start - after that ... ?

From what I've read over the years, it's somewhat pot luck as to where you live will often shape the experience you may have with the NMRA.

 

Agreed, not every region, or area has the same quality of activities. But it also depends on your needs and expectations. 

For me the original data sheets, and now the upgraded versions on line have been a very important resource for 50 years.

And I have always found the magazine/publication worth while.

I don't have the desire or time for the social activities, as a volunteer or as a participant, so I will not criticize or praise them.......

Sheldon

[rrebell]

Weighmaster

 

 

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

I'm a member, have been since 1968.

 

 

I sent Bob Bast a $100 check in mid 1974 for a life membership, but it was returned because the fee had been doubled about the time I sent it in.  I gulped (because of the "outrageous" increase), but sent in the $200.  In the long run, it's been well worth it.

 

 

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

I don't have the time or the temperament for the public side of the hobby

 

 

As I have goten older (OLD!), my days of the socializing have largely disappeared, and my health has had a number of issues.  Thirteen years ago, when we last moved, I finally had a large basement room to build, except that it largely filled with all those "indispensable" things.  After my wife passed, physical exhaustion made it difficult to start.  So here I still sit.  The room is cleared, but my stamina and drive has disappeared (at least for the time being).

Gary

 

I was going for life way back when and they sat on it till they discontinued life memberships, very sneeky.